Public Works

The Administration Division ensures that every public service request is coordinated with the appropriate Public Works Division and is properly addressed to completion, including work such as trash pick-up requests; pothole fixes; and traffic requests. 

Our City's infrastructure projects also rely upon this Division to carry out various administrative tasks, such as reporting and grant administration. In addition to serving the residents and business of Torrance, the Administration Division manages several critical administrative tasks to support each of the Divisions in Public Works, including payroll for approximately 200 employees, hiring and onboarding of new employees, and much more.

The Engineering Division is responsible for the development and implementation of several and various infrastructure projects included in the City's multi-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Our purpose is to maintain and/or rehabilitate the City's infrastructure which includes: roadways and bridges; traffic signals; storm drains, channels and retention basins; sanitary sewer and water system facilities; water reservoirs and pump stations. Our duties include: planning and budgeting for new projects; securing outside (i.e. federal, state, grant) funding; engineering design, administration of public bidding; and construction management of each project. The Division also provides engineering support to other Divisions of the Public Works Department and to other City Departments. 

The Engineering Division is also responsible for Traffic Engineering which includes the design of traffic signals; timing and coordination of traffic signals; signs, pavement striping and legends, and curb painting (red, white, green and yellow). Lastly, the Engineering Division administers, and is the liaison to, the City's Traffic Commission.

Public works Operations Division maintains over 800 miles of streets and over 500 miles of curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. Public Works also maintains storm water basins (sumps) and open ditches. This includes filling potholes, patching streets, repairing City parking lots, as well as assisting in larger capital improvement projects. They also maintain over 120 traffic signals; maintains pavement & curb markings on over 540 miles of streets; and maintains, installs, and inspects over 70,000 traffic signs at over 2,000 intersections.

The Public Works Sanitation Division collects residential trash, green waste/organics and recycling for 29,500 single and duplex homes, plus 3 and 4-unit complexes which meet certain criteria. The Division also collects trash, green waste/organics and recycling for the City Hall complex, City parks, City Fire Stations, and the Police Department. However, businesses and all other multi-family homes are serviced by licensed private haulers authorized by the City.

The Public Works Streetscape Division is responsible for the maintenance and sustainability of the City’s urban forest which includes all trees in the public right of way. The division is also responsible for the landscape maintenance and improvements on city medians.

Torrance Municipal Water (TMW) provides clean, safe, and reliable water to about 105,000 people — 78% of the City. TMW manages the water supply, maintains water quality, and ensures the system runs smoothly in coordination with state agencies.

The Wastewater Program handles the maintenance and repair of the City's storm drain and sewer systems. The City maintains 287 miles of City-owned sewer lines and 9 sewer lift stations. The Wastewater crews are responsible for detecting and correcting major problems.